I’ve often heard the question of ‘ how to learn Spanish to improve my communication skills ‘ and in one word the answer is ‘ practice ‘ and it’s as simple as that. If you are able to get to Spanish classes, then as we covered in the article on this topic, it is an ideal way to learn quicker.
I know a lot of people like to use apps and online courses for languages, but there is a downside to these, the main one regarding Spanish is there is Spanish we speak here in Spain itself and then there is the South American Spanish which is different.
Even out here in Spain, it’s easy to miss out on local phrases or dialects. When we lived down in the Granada area, if we were out in a bar and wanted another round of drinks, we’d say ” lo mismo ” which literally means in English ” the same “. When we were up here in the Alicant region, the first couple of bars I asked for this, they looked at me as though I had two heads. So here I tend to use ” uno mas ” which means ” one more “.
Below I have added some of the more popular words to help you learn Spanish quickly. These though are the very basics. I’ve also added the phonetic, to try to help with the way to pronounce things. There are letters which are not pronounced as they appear, such as the letter V in Spanish is pronounced as a B, just to confuse things a little more.
Keep in mind there will be variations on these too, such as ¿Cuánto? This is often heard as ” ¿Cuánto es ? = how much is it.
| English | Spanish | Phonetic Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Hola | OH-lah |
| Please | Por favor | pohr fah-VOHR |
| Thank you | Gracias | GRAH-syahs |
| Yes | Sí | see |
| No | No | noh |
| Goodbye | Adiós | ah-DYOHSS |
| Excuse me | Perdón | pehr-DOHN |
| Water | Agua | AH-gwah |
| Food | Comida | koh-MEE-dah |
| Friend | Amigo | ah-MEE-goh |
| Bathroom | Baño | BAH-nyoh |
| Where | Dónde | DOHN-deh |
| How much? | ¿Cuánto? | KWAN-toh |
| Love | Amor | ah-MOHR |
| Money | Dinero | dee-NEH-roh |
| Help | Ayuda | ah-YOO-dah |
| Hotel | Hotel | oh-TEL |
| Airport | Aeropuerto | ah-eh-roh-PWEHR-toh |
| Taxi | Taxi | TAHK-see |
| Train | Tren | TREHN |
| Bus | Autobús | ow-toh-BOOSS |
| Street | Calle | KAH-yeh |
| Left | Izquierda | ees-KYEHR-dah |
| Right | Derecha | deh-REH-chah |
| Today | Hoy | oy |
Fruit & Veg
These will help if you’re wanting to buy food stuff at the market, or even just asking for toppings on your pizza at a restaurant.
| English | Spanish | Phonetic Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | Manzana | mahn-SAH-nah |
| Orange | Naranja | nah-RAHN-hah |
| Banana | Plátano | PLAH-tah-noh |
| Grapes | Uvas | OO-vahs |
| Strawberry | Fresa | FREH-sah |
| Lemon | Limón | lee-MOHN |
| Pear | Pera | PEH-rah |
| Pineapple | Piña | PEEN-yah |
| Peach | Melocotón | meh-loh-koh-TOHN |
| Watermelon | Sandía | sahn-DEE-ah |
| Avocado | Aguacate | ah-gwah-KAH-teh |
| Tomato | Tomate | toh-MAH-teh |
| Potato | Patata | pah-TAH-tah |
| Onion | Cebolla | seh-BOY-yah |
| Carrot | Zanahoria | sah-nah-OH-ree-ah |
| Lettuce | Lechuga | leh-CHOO-gah |
| Cucumber | Pepino | peh-PEE-noh |
| Garlic | Ajo | AH-hoh |
| Broccoli | Brócoli | BROH-koh-lee |
| Spinach | Espinaca | ehs-pee-NAH-kah |
| Pepper | Pimiento | pee-MYEN-toh |
| Corn | Maíz | mah-EES |
| Mushroom | Champiñón | chahm-pee-NYOHN |
| Eggplant | Berenjena | beh-rehn-HEN-ah |
| Zucchini | Calabacín | kah-lah-bah-SEEN |
The House & Home
Not just limited to the house, you can use these to ask for a table at a restaurant or ask where the bathroom is.
| English | Spanish | Phonetic Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| House | Casa | KAH-sah |
| Home | Hogar | oh-GAHR |
| Room | Habitación | ah-bee-tah-SYOHN |
| Kitchen | Cocina | koh-SEE-nah |
| Bedroom | Dormitorio | dohr-mee-TOH-ree-oh |
| Bathroom | Baño | BAH-nyoh |
| Living room | Sala de estar | SAH-lah deh es-TAHR |
| Dining room | Comedor | koh-meh-DOHR |
| Garden | Jardín | har-DEEN |
| Door | Puerta | PWEHR-tah |
| Window | Ventana | ben-TAH-nah |
| Wall | Pared | pah-REHD |
| Floor | Suelo | SWAY-loh |
| Ceiling | Techo | TEH-choh |
| Roof | Tejado | teh-HAH-doh |
| Stairs | Escaleras | ehs-kah-LEH-rahs |
| Furniture | Muebles | MWAY-blehs |
| Table | Mesa | MEH-sah |
| Chair | Silla | SEE-yah |
| Bed | Cama | KAH-mah |
| Sofa | Sofá | soh-FAH |
| Closet | Armario | ahr-MAH-ree-oh |
| Lamp | Lámpara | LAHM-pah-rah |
| Mirror | Espejo | ehs-PEH-hoh |
| Carpet | Alfombra | al-FOHM-brah |
The Body
If you need medical help you can say the body part that has the problem or if you have been bitten, for example.
| English | Spanish | Phonetic Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Cabeza | kah-BEH-sah |
| Hair | Pelo | PEH-loh |
| Face | Cara | KAH-rah |
| Eye | Ojo | OH-hoh |
| Nose | Nariz | nah-REES |
| Mouth | Boca | BOH-kah |
| Ear | Oreja | oh-REH-hah |
| Tooth | Diente | DYEN-teh |
| Neck | Cuello | KWEH-yoh |
| Arm | Brazo | BRAH-soh |
| Hand | Mano | MAH-noh |
| Finger | Dedo | DEH-doh |
| Leg | Pierna | PYEHR-nah |
| Foot | Pie | pyeh |
| Heart | Corazón | koh-rah-THOHN |
| Stomach | Estómago | ehs-TOH-mah-goh |
| Back | Espalda | ehs-PAHL-dah |
| Chest | Pecho | PEH-choh |
| Bone | Hueso | WEH-soh |
| Skin | Piel | pyel |
| Blood | Sangre | SAHN-greh |
| Doctor | Médico | MEH-dee-koh |
| Nurse | Enfermero/a | ehn-fehr-MEH-roh/rah |
| Hospital | Hospital | ohs-pee-TAHL |
| Medicine | Medicina | meh-dee-SEE-nah |
In The Restaurant
Ideal if you are out for an evening meal, a lunch time menu del dia or breakfast bite to eat. Ready to pay, just ask for La Cuenta and the staff will bring you the final bill.
| English | Spanish | Phonetic Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Menu | Menú | meh-NOO |
| Table | Mesa | MEH-sah |
| Waiter | Camarero | kah-mah-REH-roh |
| Waitress | Camarera | kah-mah-REH-rah |
| Bill/Check | Cuenta | KWEHN-tah |
| Tip | Propina | proh-PEE-nah |
| Water | Agua | AH-gwah |
| Wine | Vino | VEE-noh |
| Beer | Cerveza | sehr-BEH-thah |
| Bread | Pan | pahn |
| Butter | Mantequilla | mahn-teh-KEE-yah |
| Salad | Ensalada | ehn-sah-LAH-dah |
| Soup | Sopa | SOH-pah |
| Appetizer | Aperitivo | ah-peh-ree-TEE-voh |
| Main course | Plato principal | PLAH-toh preen-see-PAHL |
| Dessert | Postre | POHS-treh |
| Coffee | Café | kah-FEH |
| Tea | Té | teh |
| Knife | Cuchillo | koo-CHEE-yoh |
| Fork | Tenedor | teh-neh-DOHR |
| Spoon | Cuchara | koo-CHAH-rah |
| Plate | Plato | PLAH-toh |
| Glass | Vaso | BAH-soh |
| Napkin | Servilleta | sehr-vee-YEH-tah |
| Reservation | Reserva | reh-SEHR-bah |
Colours
These are great if you’re shopping and see an item you like, you want to buy but want it in your favourite colour, not the one on display.
| English | Spanish | Phonetic Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Rojo | ROH-hoh |
| Blue | Azul | ah-SOOL |
| Green | Verde | BEHR-deh |
| Yellow | Amarillo | ah-mah-REE-yoh |
| Black | Negro | NEH-groh |
| White | Blanco | BLAHN-koh |
| Orange | Naranja | nah-RAHN-hah |
| Pink | Rosa | ROH-sah |
| Purple | Morado | moh-RAH-doh |
| Brown | Marrón | mah-ROHN |
| Gray | Gris | grees |
| Gold | Dorado | doh-RAH-doh |
Important Numbers
Not just about how many beers you are ordering in the round, but these are ideal for listening to the prices for items.
If you ask a price and the reply is cuatro cincuenta dos, then this is four Euros and fifty two cents.
A little piece of advice here, unless you want pockets full of change is listen the the first number which is the number of euros. Then give the next number up in euros, so in this instance hand over a five euro note and just say thankyou, so they can keep the change.
| English | Spanish | Phonetic Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| One | Uno | OO-noh |
| Two | Dos | dohs |
| Three | Tres | tres |
| Four | Cuatro | KWAH-troh |
| Five | Cinco | SEEN-koh |
| Six | Seis | says |
| Seven | Siete | SYEH-teh |
| Eight | Ocho | OH-choh |
| Nine | Nueve | NWEH-beh |
| Ten | Diez | dyess |
| Eleven | Once | OHN-seh |
| Twelve | Doce | DOH-seh |
| Thirteen | Trece | TREH-seh |
| Fourteen | Catorce | kah-TOR-seh |
| Fifteen | Quince | KEEN-seh |
| Sixteen | Dieciséis | dye-see-SAYS |
| Seventeen | Diecisiete | dye-see-SYEH-teh |
| Eighteen | Dieciocho | dye-see-OH-choh |
| Nineteen | Diecinueve | dye-see-NWEH-beh |
| Twenty | Veinte | BEHN-teh |
| Thirty | Treinta | TREYN-tah |
| Forty | Cuarenta | kwah-REHN-tah |
| Fifty | Cincuenta | seen-KWEN-tah |
| Sixty | Sesenta | seh-SEN-tah |
| Seventy | Setenta | seh-TEN-tah |
| Eighty | Ochenta | oh-CHEN-tah |
| Ninety | Noventa | noh-BEN-tah |
| One hundred | Cien | syen |
| One thousand | Mil | meel |
Best Podcast To Learn Spanish
There are a couple that I listen to on a regular basis, often in the morning while checking emails and the like. What I enjoy about these are the ability to replay each one several times, if there’s something I need to practice or pick up the correct way to say or pronounce words or a phrase.
I started off with the Coffee Break team which are usually around 15 minutes. I more recently moved to the Lightspeed sessions.
LightSpeed Spanish
Gordon Smith and Cynthia Durán make up the team at LightSpeed Spanish. I do enjoy there sessions as they are around 10 minutes long. You check them out for yourself.
Coffee Break Spanish
Join teacher Mark and learner Kara and also other presenters including native speaker Alba.
Coffee Break Languages is a product of Radio Lingua Ltd and are based in Glasgow.
How To Learn Spanish On Your Own
You can get books, but I personally prefer to watch and listen, be it videos on YouTube or as mentioned above podcasts. The down side of YT videos is the number of breaks for adverts. Additionally, you’ll find some of the local classes will record the lessons, so you get chance to listen to the teacher pronouncing the words. This gives a bigger advantage in my opinion over text books.
